


Plagues

by Cosy_Little_Crow



Series: Gundam Pilots Don’t Take Sick Days [3]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, baby duo, sick duo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-14 00:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21006374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosy_Little_Crow/pseuds/Cosy_Little_Crow
Summary: Duo recalls his first memory of being sick. A plague swept through the orphanage and he had to focus on helping the other little kids, not his own growing sickness.





	Plagues

**Author's Note:**

> I’m so sorry. Poor little Duo is helping take care of kids during a colony wide plague and he’s worried about taking meds and help and I just made myself cry with this.

The first time Duo could remember being sick, he was pretty young. He wasn’t sure how old, maybe 8. But even then, he tried not to make a big deal of it. 

Something was going around the orphanage and a lot of kids were sick. Really, really sick. They were more important. Not like him. 

Duo hadn’t told Father Maxwell or Sister Helen when he started to get a headache and chills because so many of the others were so little and so much worse. They’d lost a few already and he was scared for some of the others. 

So he didn’t tell Sister Helen and kept insisting on being her ‘little nurse’ to help the others. He switched out cold compresses and took temperatures. He brought kids watered down juice and suctioned noses and throats of the really little ones. 

Some of the older kids were helping, too, and a tough looking kid at least a foot and a half taller than him had come over while he was tending to a sobbing toddler. 

“Here, let me.” The boy said and scooped the little girl from Duo’s arms. He patted her back and bounced her for a bit, and eventually she began to quiet down. 

“Hey. ‘S yer name?” Duo tugged on the taller boy’s jumper and spoke softly to avoid waking the little girl. His voice was hoarse and he had to fight the urge to cough. 

“Name’s Solo.” Solo leaned down and tucked the now sleeping toddler into bed before turning back to Duo. 

“Yer sick too. Ye should be in bed.” 

“I’m not sick.” Duo stomped his foot and sniffled.

“I’m Duo.” He wanted to say more, but he suddenly couldn’t stop coughing. Solo reached down and put a hand to his forehead. 

“Yer burnin’ up! Come on, ye need medicine.” Solo grabbed his hand and began walking a still coughing Duo toward Sister Helen. The smaller boy suddenly stopped, digging his heels in. 

“NO! ‘m not sick. I won’t take it if you give me something. I don’t NEED it!” His eyes were wild with panic. He couldn’t let Sister Helen know. 

He couldn’t take medicine away from the little ones, or attention. They needed it. He would be fine. They deserved help. 

Seeing his panic, Solo dropped down to a squat in front of the little boy. He pushed a lock of long chestnut hair back from his flushed little face and sighed. 

“Duo, I won’t force ye, but won’t yer be better help when yer not sick? The medicine will help ye do a better job.” The small boy deflated a bit and tears prickled his eyes. 

“But what if there’s not enough? What if they die ‘cause of me?” Duo was crying now, and Solo scooped him up in his arms without hesitation. 

“Oh, Duo. There’s enough. If they die, it’s not yer fault. Ye’ve been such a good nurse. They need ye target better an’ keep helpin’ out. Ye deserve it as much as they do, more even.” Duo pulled back, watery eyes wide at that. 

“R-really?” His little voice broke and another hiccuping sob escaped him. 

“Really. Look around. Yer the littlest one helpin’ but ye have the most patients.” Duo looked around then to find it was true. Besides Sister Helen, he was helping the most kids. He was really helping. 

Solo picked him up then and brought him to an empty bed. Duo still looked unsure, but he was starting to shiver more violently as his fever rose. He let Solo bring him juice and medicine to lower his fever. He let the older boy tuck him in. But he wouldn’t go to sleep until he made sure his ‘patients’ had someone to take care of them. 

“Solo? Will ya watch ‘em for me? Jus’ while I take a nap?” His eyes were already closing, but Duo struggled to stay awake until he got his answer.

The older boy ruffled his hair and tucked the covers around him. 

“Course I will, Duo. Yer just focus on gettin’ better.” He pressed a tiny kiss to duo’s forehead and walked toward the area Duo was taking care of.

Duo closed his eyes and snuggled into the covers. They needed him, so he had to take a nap so he could get better. He deserved to get better so he could keep taking care of them. 

With that last thought, the small boy let himself drift of to sleep.


End file.
